Why Belong to a Local Church?
Acts 2:41-47
Introduction: Often I meet people who have become Christians but for whatever reason fail to follow Christ in baptism and to become members of a Bible believing church. Some have been obedient in baptism but go for years without ever becoming an active member in a local congregation. A myriad of excuses are given for not joining. We need to understand what the church is and the reasons for belonging to a local church.
I. We need to understand what the Church is not.
A. The church is not a denomination.
1. Denominations may consist of churches that hold to the same doctrinal beliefs or have placed themselves under some organizational structure that either governs them or allows them to have a unified method or vehicle to carry out the local churches outreach ministries in a greater capacity. But they are not a church.
2. Denominational labels do usually, though not always, identify a church’s:
a. Doctrinal position
b. Polity (Leadership or governing structure)
i. Presbyterian- i.e. Presbyterian and Reformed
ii. Episcopal –i.e. Methodist, Roman Catholic, Anglican
iii. Congregational – i.e. Baptist, Brethren, Congregational
iv. Monarchical – i.e. some Independent Mega Churches
B. The church is not a building.
1. Often people when talking about a church are talking about a building. They equate it with the Tabernacle and Temple of the Old Testament.
2. The individual born-again child of God is the temple today.
3. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”
4. In the first century Christians gather primarily in homes to conduct church services.
5. Romans 16:3, 5a “Greet Priscilla and Aquila my helpers in Christ Jesus... Likewise greet the church that is in their house...”
6. Philemon 2-3 “And to our beloved Apphia, and Archippus our fellow-soldier, and to the church in thy house: Grace to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”
II. We need to understand what the Church is.
A. The Local Church is mentioned in the Bible over one hundred times. The word "church" occurs 77 times in the singular form, and 37 times in the plural form in the Bible. All these verses are found in the New Testament.
B. The original Greek word for church is ekklesia. In normal usage the Greek word in New Testament times was understood to simply mean a called out or special assembly. The word "ekklesia" made specific reference to a group meeting in a particular geographical location. Paul who used the word more frequently than any other New Testament writer clearly understood the word to mean an assembly or congregation who met locally together. Paul always understands ekklesia as the living, assembled congregation. – Source: Colin Brown, The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology.
C. 1 Corinthians 1:1 “Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Sosthenes our brother, unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours”
D. Acts 2:42, 47 “They continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers... Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”
E. The church is a called together body of believers who have been baptized upon a credible confession of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and are united together for worship, the observance of the ordinances, edification, fellowship, evangelism and such service as the Lord requires.
III. Why belong to a local Bible Believing Church
A. It is normal for a Christian to be an active member of a local church.
1. In the New Testament when people got saved they joined the church.
2. Acts 2:41 “Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.”
3. The normal progression in the life of a believer is salvation, baptism, church membership, fellowship, and service.
B. God expects believers to regularly participate in corporate worship.
1. The local church offers the venue for a believer to unite with other believers in the congregational celebration of worship, the public proclamation of the Word of God, and the practice of the Christian ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
2. Paul exhorts Timothy as a young pastor in 1 Timothy 4:13 (ESV) “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.”
3. 1 Corinthians 14:26 “How is it then, brethren? When ye come together, every one of you has a psalm, has a doctrine, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.”
4. The phrase corporate prayer is not used in the Bible but the concept is perfectly defined in Acts 1:14. Webster defines corporate as being “united or combined”. – Leland Patrick, A Call to Corporate Prayer
5. Acts 1:14 “These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
C. God equips believers to carry out His will through the local church.
1. Ephesians 4:11-12 “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”
2. “The church is an agency of maturity and spiritual growth. It is the responsibility of the church to mature the babes in Christ… We are an agency of maturity. We have no other choice in the matter but to lend a helping hand to the babes in Christ as they grow into the full-grown child of God which God purposes and intends the believer to be.” - Dr. Harold B. Sightler, The Church, Greenville, SC: Tabernacle Baptist Church, 1983, pp. 41-42
3. Acts 2:42 “and they continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine...”
4. “Although prominent men suggest that the local church is obsolete and that modern times demand another program and plan, we can truly say that the apostles founded churches and they founded nothing else, and the local church is still, today, the pillar and ground of the truth! According to the Scriptures, the church is still God’s means to fulfill His program and plan for this age.” -Jim Gent, God Says You Need the Local Church, Smyrna Publications, 1994, p. 90
D. The local church is the vehicle that God uses for the collection, administration and distribution of tithes and offerings in carrying out the mission of the church.
1. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.
2. Giving should start with your local Bible-believing, Christ-centered church, the spiritual community where you’re fed and to which you’re accountable. Even gifts that were sent to other places were given through the local church.
3. John Chrysostom wrote 390 A.D concerning he giving of Christians, “They did not dare to put their offering into the hands of the needy, nor give it with lofty condescension, but they laid it at the feet of the apostles and made them masters and distributors of the gift. What a man needed was then taken from the treasurer of the community, not from the private property of individuals. Thereby the givers did not become arrogant.” - copied
E. The local church is the place to exercise your spiritual gifts.
1. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
2. 1 Peter 4:10 “As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
3. Paul compares the possessors of spiritual gifts to members of the human body because as the members of our body are none of our doing or deserving, neither are the spiritual gifts we possess. They are God’s gifts entrusted to us for a purpose. If that purpose isn’t fulfilled, His gifts are wasted. What’s the use of having an eye or a hand that doesn’t serve the entire body? A test of the genuineness of any gift is whether it benefits the church as a whole, or only the possessor. Does it tend to unite the church or to divide it? Does it make members who are different from us feel estranged or fellow members with us of one and the same body? - copied
F. The local church is a place of accountability.
1. Membership in a local church involves a commitment to worship the Lord corporately, edifying brothers and sisters through mutual exhortation and service, cooperating in mission, and holding each other accountable to walk in a manner pleasing to the Lord as a witness to the truth of Christ in the world.
2. Matthew 18:15-17 “Jesus said, ‘If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.”
3. Illustration - Some time ago a pastor struck up a conversation with the passenger sitting next to him on a plane flight. As they talked, he was very cordial and pleasant. Than the pastor asked, "Where are you on your spiritual journey?" Suddenly, the man became defensive. “I had my fill of the church when I was a young boy. Can you believe that I was forced to attend services at least three times a week? Every Sunday morning and evening and every Wednesday night. Years ago I determined that when I became an adult I would never attend church again as long as I live."
"How would you like to live in a community where there was no church?" the pastor asked. The man dropped his head and was silent for a moment. Then he replied, "I wouldn’t like that."
Looking at the man firmly in the eye, the pastor said forcefully, "You are a parasite!" Immediately the man became flustered and said impatiently, "What do you mean by that?" "Simple. You want all the benefits of the church without any of the responsibility." The man slowly smiled, returned the pastor’s direct gaze, then announced, "For the first time in 20 years, I’ll be in church on Sunday." – copied
4. Accountability in the local church does not mean that the church will ever be perfectly pure in this age. Our church is not the church it should be, but it is the church that will one day be all that God has called it to be.
5. Church membership is an important commitment because it is a tangible expression of a life that is committed to Jesus Christ.
6. This Is My Church.
It is composed of people just like me.
It will be friendly if I am.
It will do a great work if I work.
It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am generous.
It will bring others into its fellowship if I bring them.
Its seats will be filled if I fill them.
It will be a church of loyalty and love, of faith and service.
If I who make it what it is, am filled with these,
Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being
All these things I want my Church to be. - copied
